EP3461750B1 - Container for packing material - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to containers for holding packaging material, wherein at least parts of the inside of the container are wetted or equipped with a treatment agent and/or load carriers provided with a treatment agent are provided inside the container and that the treatment agent is an H ₂ O ₂ solution as a disinfectant contains.

From the US 2013/0065958 A1 a generic container is known which is suitable for holding a plurality of flat-folded packaging jackets, blanks or web goods rolled up into a roll. A treatment agent is used there that contains an H ₂ O ₂ solution ("peroxide") as a disinfectant in order to disinfect the objects packed in the container. From the US 4,061,785 It is already known per se to use a treatment agent which consists of a combination of ethanol and a preservative. The treatment agents described there are used to increase the shelf life of fruit, vegetables, flowers or the like. It does not describe the disinfection of packaging material.

Cardboard/plastic composite packaging is manufactured either as a so-called “tube forming process” from the roll or from individual blanks of paper/plastic laminate material. Here, individual blanks are first obtained from a roll of composite material and these are then provided with a tight longitudinal seam, which is generally created by folding and sealing the composite material and, if necessary, by additionally gluing it over with a sealing strip.

The treatment of open cut edges of a packaging jacket, blank or a sheet of packaging material rolled up into a roll, in particular cardboard/plastic composite material, is carried out by applying or introducing a treatment agent containing a disinfectant onto or into the outer region of the cut edges.

When we talk about open cut edges below, this should not only mean the cut edges that delimit a blank or a packaging jacket formed from it, but also all "open" pulp areas that are accessible to the surrounding atmosphere, so in particular also cut edges on the inside of perforations are meant, such as those found in beverage packaging in the area of pouring elements or other opening aids. The open cut edges form pulp areas that are accessible to the surrounding atmosphere.

The further processing of packaging casings produced in this way, i.e. the one-sided closing on the top or bottom of the later packaging, the sterilization, the filling and the re-closing usually takes place directly in the filling machine.

Cup forming, cleaning and, if necessary, disinfection then take place here before the filling material is filled in and the composite packaging is closed and finally formed. When producing a so-called aseptic composite packaging, disinfection and filling take place in the aseptic zone of a filling machine. If the cup is formed before disinfection or sterilization, the cup can also be formed outside the aseptic zone. Such procedures are, among other things, in DE 32 35 476 A1 and the DE 10 2009 029 706 A1 described.

Regardless of the manufacturing process, the pack is usually closed by pressing and sealing the edges of the packaging material, for example using ultrasound using a sonotrode and an anvil. There are others too Methods for closing the pack are known, for example electromagnetic induction or the application of hot air in conjunction with mechanical pressing.

It has been shown that dust in particular is responsible for contamination with germs, so avoiding dust should be a priority in all steps. This can be done by extracting dust during packaging jacket production and reducing the service life of the cutting knives used. However, due to the fibers in the pulp of the cardboard used, the open cut edges always remain the 'problem areas' in packaging production. In most cases, powerful extraction systems provide a solution, but they burden the production process with high energy costs and noise emissions.

Aseptic packaging is understood to mean packaging into which a product, in particular a foodstuff, is filled under aseptic conditions. Filling machines used for this purpose include an aseptic zone, a type of clean room in which sterile, i.e. germ-free conditions prevail, to maintain which the room is usually closed or largely closed except for a few openings. The clean room atmosphere created in it is also under overpressure due to the introduction of sterile air, so that no germs can penetrate from outside. The packaging material is then transported continuously or intermittently through the aseptic zone, being sterilized, dried, filled and sealed in one or more steps in successive steps. For each processing step, today's state-of-the-art machines, such as a machine from the applicant's 24 series, allow a processing time for an individual sterilization or filling station of approximately 0.6 seconds to approximately 0.85 seconds, depending on the pack format.

The edges of packaging jackets are open cut edges of an otherwise waterproof laminate material that may also have an oxygen barrier. Therefore, there is a risk of exchange of germs (microorganisms and spores) primarily in the area of the edges, which increases the germ load on the material and ultimately contamination of the product when the packaging is subsequently filled or closed to form the finished package cannot be ruled out can be.

Closing a filled container made of composite material that is open on one side carries the risk that, particularly when sealing with ultrasound, dust can be thrown out of the packaging material from the open cut edges and this can contaminate both the aseptic area of the filling machine and the open packaging itself.

Vegetative microorganisms are single-celled organisms capable of reproducing through cell division, which are suitable for multiplying in the contents ('product') of a package and thereby changing the properties of the contents. The term also includes the survival forms of the protozoa capable of reproducing, such as their spores .

These spores are usually very resistant to changes in the environmental conditions surrounding them. When microorganisms do not have an environment for metabolism and/or reproduction, some microorganisms have the opportunity to enter a spore stage.

More precisely, the term microorganisms in the sense of the present application should be understood to mean eukaryotes and prokaryotes, whereby the eukaryotes have a real cell wall and include algae, protozones, fungi and slime molds, while the prokaryotes cover the group of bacteria (cf. 'Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology', 8th edition, Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1974 ).

Persistent forms, such as spores, are particularly known among prokaryotes. These are increasingly encountered, for example, after thermal and/or chemical treatments of raw materials for the production of raw cardboard products, since such treatment methods either kill the directly reproducible form of the microorganisms or initiate the transition into the spore form.

As a measure of the number or amount of microorganisms contained in a quantity of material (for example in the raw cardboard product mentioned), the term “colony-forming unit per gram” (cfu/g) is known to those skilled in the art. In contrast to the direct counting of all microorganisms present using a suitable optical means, the number of colony-forming units is determined via the targeted propagation of the existing microorganisms capable of division under suitable cultivation conditions. Generally this happens up to a colony size that can be counted with the naked eye. This takes advantage of the fact that exactly one colony is created from each individual microorganism capable of division under previously defined conditions. Individual cases in which two CFU are so close together that only one visible colony forms from them are then regularly neglected.

Determination methods typical in microbiology are regulated in ISO 8784-1 from 2005.

A reduction in cfu/g is therefore used by experts as a measure of the effectiveness of a process for reducing germs and is often referred to as the sterilization rate. Derived from this is the sterility rate to be counted based on the number of packs produced.

It's from the DE 10 2011 111 523 A1 It is already known to treat open cut edges of a packaging casing of a packaging material at the top or bottom by applying a treatment agent which contains a disinfectant, the disinfectant remaining on the cut edges after application and penetrating into the packaging material. The application is done by spraying from above, with a plurality of packing jackets folded flat. In this known method, the treatment agent is applied to the packaging casing edges in a specially designed station in one or more separate process steps immediately before the packaging casings are packed into an outer carton. This procedure is relatively complex. There is also a risk of accidentally spraying past the package. It has also been shown that the outside of the packaging jackets can quickly become affected. For example, the treatment agent can have an unintentional effect on the printed image on the outside of the packaging casing and damage it. It can also happen that two packaging sleeves stick to each other after they have been removed from the outer carton and can lead to production disruptions during further processing in the filling machine.

To apply the treatment agent, at least part of the treatment agent is not applied directly to the cut edges, but rather a treatment carrier is loaded, which receives the treatment agent, so that an actively sterilizing atmosphere that occurs then acts on the open cut edges of the packaging jacket, blank or web material and carries out the desired sterilization.

Sterilization can be achieved to a sufficient depth into the box without affecting the well-known and proven process of pack production. The “sufficient depth” is determined by the respective manufacturing processes used. If the seam is formed using ultrasound, sterilization must be carried out to a depth of around 2 to 3 mm in order to reliably prevent contaminated dust from being thrown out of the open edge during the sealing process. If the seam is to be closed using microwave technology, a depth of a few tenths of a millimeter is sufficient.

Proceeding from this, the invention is based on the object of providing a container for holding a plurality of flat-folded packaging jackets, blanks or web goods rolled up into a roll, in which the aforementioned packaging material is stored or transported with sterilized open cut edges.

This problem is solved in a container for holding packaging material with the features of the preamble of claim 1 in that the packaging material consists of a composite material with at least one layer of cardboard which contains pulp, and that the container contains packaging material in the form of a plurality of flat-folded packaging jackets , blanks or sheet material rolled up into a roll, each with open cut edges, the open cut edges forming pulp areas accessible to the surrounding atmosphere and the treatment agent containing ethanol.

• Einbringen der flachgefalteten Packungsmäntel, Zuschnitte oder zu einer Rolle aufgerollter Bahnware, jeweils mit offenen Schnittkanten, in das Behältnis,
• Aufbringen eines Ethanol und eine H₂O₂-Lösung als Entkeimungsmittel enthaltendes Behandlungsmittels auf die Innenseite des Behältnisses und/oder auf einen Beladungsträger und Einbringen des Beladungsträgers in das Behältnis und
• Verschließen des Behältnisses.

In a method for packaging a plurality of flat-folded packaging jackets, blanks or rolled-up banana goods, each made of a composite material with at least one layer of cardboard containing cellulose and with open cut edges, in such a container, the problem is solved by the following Steps:

• Inserting the flat-folded packaging jackets, blanks or rolled-up web goods, each with open cut edges, into the container,
• Applying a treatment agent containing ethanol and an H ₂ O ₂ solution as a disinfectant to the inside of the container and/or onto a load carrier and inserting the load carrier into the container and
• Close the container.

The transfer of the treatment agent occurs indirectly through evaporation and subsequent absorption in the open cut edge(s) of the packaging material.

Furthermore, the outer surfaces of the container can preferably be sealed at least in the perforated area in order to reliably prevent migration of the treatment agent into the environment. pe containers are explained in more detail below using the exemplary embodiments.

According to a further teaching of the invention, cardboard, in particular corrugated cardboard, is used as the material for the container, so that an outer box with closable tabs is created.

If the container is an outer box made of corrugated cardboard, this offers the advantage that the absorption of the sterilizing agent from the loaded outer box flaps takes place through the upper or lower open jacket cardboard edges of the packed coats in the outer box. In contrast to the sterilization of packing jackets after the DE 10 2011 111 523 A1 The already significantly reduced workload can be reduced even further if the outer box is exposed to the treatment agent outside the direct production line, for example in an adjacent room. In some cases, it can even be particularly preferred if the outer box, which is in turn a folding box, is loaded before or while the outer box is being unfolded.

In a further embodiment of the invention, plastic can also be used as the material for the container. According to a preferred teaching of the invention, the container can have a plastic container and a plastic lid as well as at least one load carrier. Alternatively, it is also possible for the container to be a shrink film with a load carrier.

A "vaccination" of the atmosphere enclosed by the container, preferably the atmosphere enclosed by the outer box, after closing the box is possible, for example, with a needle, whereby the outer box must be pierced one or more times at suitable locations, for example in the free head space. It is also conceivable that a load carrier, for example a felt strip, is applied to the inside of the outer box before closing and, after closing the outer box, is penetrated with a needle in such a way that the needle can inject the treatment agent into the load carrier. In this way, the environment is practically not polluted by the active ingredients contained in the treatment agent.

For this purpose, the container can also include a valve. The use of a valve effectively prevents the treatment agent from escaping from the container or excessive diffusion. The valve can be designed as a mechanical one-way valve or as a pierceable and self-closing membrane. The provision of a mechanical valve can be particularly advantageous for reusable containers, while a self-closing membrane can also easily be glued to the outside or inside of the container and offers sufficient protection for at least one-time use.

The treatment agent is preferably colored with a suitable dye. This means that the attachment area can be easily identified visually. This can be used for control purposes. If a dye is also used which, together with the disinfectant, is absorbed from the actively sterilizing atmosphere by the open cut edges of the packaging material, treatment can also be verified on the packaging material itself by a simple visual inspection. The depth of penetration of the treatment agent into the edge area can then also be recognized. It is therefore preferred that the dye causes discoloration of the treated edges.

Loading an outer packaging at a suitable location, for example the inside of the flaps of an outer box, with a treatment agent containing a disinfectant, for example a peroxide solution, can be done by spraying, dripping and then spreading, brushing, rolling, dabbing, spatulating, printing (for example with an "inkjet" process), dipping or vapor deposition. The loading can also - as already mentioned - be carried out as an injection.

Applying disinfectant to the edges of the packaging materials to be transported in a container can also be done by attaching a strip, insert sheet or other carrier material loaded with a sterilizing agent.

It can be advantageous if the load carrier is designed as an accumulator and can be refilled with liquid treatment agent in order to then release the treatment agent back into the environment. Porous or cellular storage materials are particularly suitable for this.

The flat-folded packaging materials packed in a container, in particular an outer box, are generally transported over a period of several days. Meanwhile, germ reduction or sterilization of the open cardboard edges and the container or outer packaging takes place through the absorbed sterilizing agent. It was surprisingly found that first-class disinfection rates occur despite very low concentrations of the disinfectant. It is now assumed that the low concentrations of the disinfectant can use the long residence time in the container as an effective exposure time. The actively sterilizing atmosphere that arises can therefore be maintained within an effective framework over a long period of several hours or even days. This results in a long exposure time at low concentrations. Depending on the amount used, the disinfectant penetrates up to 2 mm or 3 mm or even deeper Edge area or perforation area of the box. This is important because the fibers located there in the pulp/cardboard layer cannot be described as stationary and therefore the germs settled on the fibers are not bound but can escape from the pulp/cardboard layer with the fibers as dust.

The exposure time, based on a specific type and weight of cardboard, depends on the treatment agent used or the additives included, the dosage, the expected sterilization rate and the ambient temperature.

Absorption of treatment agent through the cardboard edge is possible because the cardboard used for the packs to be produced is hydrophilic and generally has a relative humidity of around 5.5% - 8.5% as a finished product, i.e. the moisture content of the cardboard is far below the saturation limit, which results from the prevailing environmental conditions and is generally identical to the equilibrium humidity in the environment.

The addition of a polar organic solvent, which has a lower vapor pressure than the active agent, in this case the disinfectant, acts as an accelerator. The addition of ethanol to the peroxide solution promotes the absorption effect of the cut edge and increases the penetration of the peroxide into the cardboard. This enables the disinfectant to penetrate deeper into the cut edges, so that with a suitable ratio of disinfectant and ethanol, an edge area of the packaging material to be treated with a depth of up to several millimeters can be sterilized after just a few hours.

Ethanol belongs to the group of polar organic solvents that generally act as accelerators when their vapor pressure is lower than that of the active medium. If the vapor pressure of the added polar organic solvent is higher than that of the active agent, the solvent acts as a retarder. An example of a solvent with a higher vapor pressure is ^DOWANOL® , a trademarked product of DOW Chemical Company. In general, it can be said that low molecular weight polar organic solvents have a low vapor pressure and higher molecular weight organic solvents have a high vapor pressure.

In addition, the sterilization effect of some sterilizing agents is synergistically enhanced.

Determination method:

To further define the features mentioned in the claims, the following determination method is specified:

Determination of colony-forming units per gram ( cfu / g )

The European standard method ISO 8784-1:2005 and the references listed in this test specification are chosen as the basis for determining the colony-forming units per gram (cfu/g). The test regulations are used here to examine the cfu/g load on packaging or composite materials made of cardboard, plastic and, in some cases, aluminum. If deviations from the cited test regulations are necessary when taking samples and determining the cfu/g of the packaging material, they will be explained below.

1.1.1. Sampling and sample preparation

The packaging material samples taken must not be touched with your hands. Storage takes place in sterile sampling containers, preferably sterile plastic bags. The areas to be examined are cut into pieces using sterile scissors.

1. a. Der erste Teilbereich, der kein Randbereich ist (Probennahme min. 10 Millimeter von der offenen Schnittkante entfernt)
2. b. Der zweite Teilbereich bzw. Randbereich, an den offenen Schnittkanten bzw. den Perforationskanten des Verpackungsmaterials (bis max. drei Millimeter ab der offenen Schnittkante)

“Areas to be examined” are:

1. a. The first subarea that is not an edge area (sampling at least 10 millimeters from the open cut edge)
2. b. The second partial area or edge area, on the open cut edges or the perforation edges of the packaging material (up to a maximum of three millimeters from the open cut edge)

In addition to the European standard method ISO 8784-1:2005, Chapter 8 "Preparation of the test material", a maximum of 3 g of packaging material is used for the first sub-areas. A maximum of 3 g of packaging material is also used for the second section. If not enough material is obtained from one sample, the second sub-areas consisting of a maximum of 5 identical samples are used together.

1.2. Optional determination of the surface germ count

There is a possibility that, in addition to the presence of germs inside, the packaging material samples may also be contaminated on the surface before sampling. An error in determining the cfu/g of the packaging material can be prevented by determining the surface bacterial count separately and by differentiating the surface bacterial count from that in 1.1. certain number of colony-forming units per gram is subtracted.

1.2.1. Terms and abbreviations

• ml = milliliters
• h = hour
• kbU = colony forming units
• °C = degrees Celsius
• g = grams
• mm = millimeters
• cm = centimeters

1.2.2. Required tools

• Contact Petri dishes (plastic) ∅ 5.5 cm (e.g. Greiner Bio-one 629180) Tweezers
• Cutter knife
• Sterile foil bag or aluminum foil
• sterilizer
• Incubator
• sterile workbench
• Culture media: Plate Count Agar (e.g. available as Oxoid No. CM 325, Merck No. 105463, Difco No. 247940)

1.2.3. execution

240 cm ² of packaging material area is examined per sample.

A contact Petri dish has an area of 24 cm ² . Therefore, 10 contact dishes per sample must be prepared in order to examine the above-mentioned area.

Add enough culture medium to the sterile Petri dishes so that the agar protrudes beyond the edge of the Petri dish (curvature), but does not run over the edge. The prepared cooled contact dishes are pressed onto the surface of the packaging material, closed and incubated under the specified conditions.

It is important to ensure that the test pieces are only touched with sterile tweezers and that the contact trays do not come into contact with the open edge of the pack.

The Petri dishes are placed in the incubator with the lid down to avoid condensation.

Culture medium: Plate count agar is used for the surface germ count.

Incubation:_The plate count agar is incubated at 30 °C for 5 days, with evaluation taking place afterwards.

1.2.4. Evaluation

All colonies present on the contact plates of a sample are counted. The results are converted to cfu (colony forming units) / 100 cm ² and documented. The value obtained is converted to the surface of the areas to be examined and subtracted as a numerical value from the value of the colony-forming units per gram.

Examples:

• Verdampfungsverzögerer (beispielsweise DOWANOL^®)
• Mitteln die die Oberflächenspannung reduzieren, wie beispielsweise Alkoholanteile (Alkoholanteile mit Verzögerungsmittel, oberflächenaktive Substanzen wie Tenside etc.)
• Peressigsäure 3-15 %
• n- oder Isopropanol
• anderen sporizid wirkende Mitteln

verwendet werden.For the practical implementation of the method according to the invention, a hydrogen peroxide solution of 3.5% to 50% with or without the addition of, for example, can be used as a treatment agent

• Evaporation retarder (e.g. DOWANOL ^® )
• Agents that reduce surface tension, such as alcohol components (alcohol components with retardants, surface-active substances such as surfactants, etc.)
• Peracetic acid 3-15%
• n- or isopropanol
• other sporicidal agents

be used.

The solution can be mixed with water or alcohol (ethanol) and can be used without toxic residues or completely volatilized.

Table 1 lists 12 application examples. The following basic conditions apply to these examples:
The cfu/g were evaluated according to the standards and procedures described in the methods. The treated packaging material has a cardboard layer from Stora Enso Natura Board with a grammage of 230 g/m ² as the cardboard layer. Unless otherwise described, 350 packing jackets were stored in one container.

• Umkarton: Aus Wellpappe hergestellter Container mit den Maßen B: 60 cm; H: 19 cm; T: 10,5 cm
• Kunststoffbox: Aus Polypropylen hergestellter Container mit Deckel mit den Maßen B: 60cm H: 19 cm T: 10,5 cm
• Schrumpffolie: Aus Polyolefinen hergestellte Folie mit den Maßen B: 1m; L: 2,5 m; Dicke: 20µm
• Beladener Papierträger: DIN A4, Zellstoff mit einer Grammatur von 150g/m²

The containers have the following properties:

• Outer box: Container made of corrugated cardboard with dimensions W: 60 cm; H: 19cm; D: 10.5cm
• Plastic box: Container made of polypropylene with lid measuring W: 60cm H: 19cm D: 10.5cm
• Shrink film: Film made from polyolefins with dimensions B: 1m; L: 2.5m; Thickness: 20µm
• Loaded paper carrier : DIN A4, pulp with a grammage of 150g/m ²

• H ₂ 0 ₂ -Lösung: Peroxal DS 35% H₂O₂-Lösung (Lebensmittelqualität)
• Ethanol: Ethanol technisch (99%) mit MEK vergällt (1%)
• Methanol: Methanol technisch (98%)
• Dowanol: 1-Methoxy-Propanol-2 von der Firma Dow

Tabelle 1: Untersuchung verschiedener Anwendungsbeispiele Behandlungsmittel Volumenanteil Auftragsvolumen Art der Auftragung Behältnis Unbehandelt * 1 h Einwirkzeit* 48 h Einwirkzeit* Beispiel 1 H2O2-Lösung 1 1ml Bestreichen der Umkartonlasche Umkarton - - ++ Ethanol 1 Wasser 1 Beispiel 2 H2O2-Lösung 10 10ml Bestreichen der Umkartonlasche Umkarton - + +++ Ethanol 1 Wasser 1 Beispiel 3 H2O2-Lösung 1 5ml Bestreichen der Umkartonlasche Umkarton - - + Ethanol 5 Wasser 5 Beispiel 4 H2O2-Lösung 2 2ml Bestreichen der Umkartonlasche Umkarton - - +++ Ethanol 2 Wasser 1 Beispiel 5 H2O2-Lösung 2 5ml Besprühen der Umkartonlasche Umkarton - + +++ Ethanol 2 Wasser 1 Beispiel 6 H2O2-Lösung 1 1ml Besprühen der Umkartonlasche Umkarton - - ++ Ethanol 1 Wasser 1 Beispiel 7 H2O2-Lösung 2 1ml beladener Papierträger Kunststoffbox - - +++ Ethanol 2 Wasser 1 Beispiel 8 H2O2-Lösung 2 2ml beladener Papierträger Umkarton - - ++ Ethanol 2 Wasser 1 Beispiel 9 H2O2-Lösung 2 2ml beladener Papierträger Schrumpffolie - - +++ Ethanol 2 Wasser 1 Beispiel 10 H2O2-Lösung 1 1 ml Bestreichen der Umkartonlasche Umkarton - - - Ethanol 1 Wasser 5 Beispiel 11 H2O2-Lösung 1 1 ml Bestreichen der Umkartonlasche Umkarton - 1 - ++ Methanol 1 Wasser 1 Beispiel 12 H2O2-Lösung 1 1 ml Bestreichen der Umkartonlasche Umkarton - - - Dowanol 1 Wasser 1 * KBEs im definierten Randbereich (bis zu 3 mm) der offenen Schnittkante des Verpackungsmaterials The treatment agent is made from the following chemicals:

• H ₂ 0 ₂ solution: Peroxal DS 35% H ₂ O ₂ solution (food grade)
• Ethanol: Technical ethanol (99%) denatured with MEK (1%)
• Methanol: Methanol technical (98%)
• Dowanol: 1-Methoxy-Propanol-2 from Dow

Table 1: Examination of various application examples treatment means Volume fraction Order volume Type of application container Untreated * 1 hour exposure time* 48 h exposure time* example 1 H2O2 solution 1 1ml Coat the outer box flap Outer box - - ++ Ethanol 1 Water 1 Example 2 H2O2 solution 10 10ml Coat the outer box flap Outer box - + +++ Ethanol 1 Water 1 Example 3 H2O2 solution 1 5ml Coat the outer box flap Outer box - - + Ethanol 5 Water 5 Example 4 H2O2 solution 2 2ml Coat the outer box flap Outer box - - +++ Ethanol 2 Water 1 Example 5 H2O2 solution 2 5ml Spraying the outer box flap Outer box - + +++ Ethanol 2 Water 1 Example 6 H2O2 solution 1 1ml Spraying the outer box flap Outer box - - ++ Ethanol 1 Water 1 Example 7 H2O2 solution 2 1ml loaded paper carrier Plastic box - - +++ Ethanol 2 Water 1 Example 8 H2O2 solution 2 2ml loaded paper carrier Outer box - - ++ Ethanol 2 Water 1 Example 9 H2O2 solution 2 2ml loaded paper carrier Shrink wrap - - +++ Ethanol 2 Water 1 Example 10 H2O2 solution 1 1ml Coat the outer box flap Outer box - - - Ethanol 1 Water 5 Example 11 H2O2 solution 1 1ml Coat the outer box flap Outer box - 1 - ++ Methanol 1 Water 1 Example 12 H2O2 solution 1 1ml Coat the outer box flap Outer box - - - Dowanol 1 Water 1 * KBEs in the defined edge area (up to 3 mm) of the open cut edge of the packaging material

Legend: - > 1000 cfu/g + < 50 cfu/g - 500 kbU/g < x < 1000 kbU/g ++ < 10 cfu/g - 100 kbU/g < x < 500 kbU/g +++ < 1 cfu/g

• Behandlungsmittel kann definiert auf die Umkartonlaschen aufgebracht werden.
• Minimaler Verbrauch an Entkeimungsmittel im Vergleich zur Direktbesprühung der Kanten. Gefahrenpotenzial und Belastung für die Arbeitsumgebung sind dadurch deutlich verringert.
• Überbeladung durch direktes Aufsprühen wird vermieden.
• Zeit zum Absorptionsaustausch zwischen Kartonlasche/Mantelkante bzw. Perforation ist ausreichend vorhanden durch Transport vom Herstellort zum Abfüllbetrieb (häufig größer 3 Tage).

• Kennzeichnung durch Färben des Behandlungsmittels auf den Umkartonlaschen sinnvoll, daher gute Aufbringungs- und Dosierkontrolle möglich.
• Durch minimale Absorptionsmengen sind keine nachweisbaren Entkeimungsmittelrestmengen, z.B. Peroxidrestmengen vor Verarbeitung des Verpackungsmaterials an der Füllmaschine vorhanden. Eine Gesundheitsgefährdung ist daher ausgeschlossen.
• Keine Beeinflussung des sichtbaren Bereichs der Verpackungsaußenseite. Insbesondere wird das für den Verkauf der Verbundverpackung wichtige Druckbild nicht angegriffen und ein Aneinanderhaften benachbarter Packungsmäntel im Zuführprozess einer Füllmaschine wirksam verhindert.
• Das Behandlungsmittel, insbesondere die Peroxidlösung, wirkt praktisch ausschließlich auf die offenen Schnittkanten, weil es von diesen aktiv absorbiert wird. Keine Belastung der übrigen Packung.

In summary, the advantages of the invention can be described under the following keywords:

• Treatment agent can be applied to the outer cardboard flaps in a defined manner.
• Minimal consumption of disinfectant compared to direct spraying of the edges. This significantly reduces the potential for danger and stress on the working environment.
• Overloading by direct spraying is avoided.
• There is sufficient time for the absorption exchange between the cardboard flap/jacket edge or perforation through transport from the manufacturing site to the bottling plant (often more than 3 days).

• Labeling by coloring the treatment agent on the outer carton flaps makes sense, therefore good application and dosage control is possible.
• Due to minimal absorption amounts, there are no detectable residual amounts of disinfectant, e.g. residual amounts of peroxide, before processing the packaging material on the filling machine. A health risk is therefore excluded.
• No influence on the visible area of the outside of the packaging. In particular, the printed image, which is important for the sale of the composite packaging, is not affected and adjoining packaging casings are effectively prevented from sticking together in the feeding process of a filling machine.
• The treatment agent, in particular the peroxide solution, acts practically exclusively on the open cut edges because it is actively absorbed by them. No burden on the rest of the pack.

Fig. 1A

einen Zuschnitt für Getränkekartons in Draufsicht,

Fig. 1B

einen flachgefalteten Packungsmantel, hergestellt aus einem Zuschnitt gemäß Fig. 1A,

Fig. 2

einen Umkarton zur Aufnahme einer Vielzahl von Packungsmänteln mit oben offenen Kartonlaschen im Vertikalschnitt,

Fig. 3

ein erstes Ausführungsbeispiel eines oben offenen Umkartons mit darin befindlichen flachgefalteten Packungsmänteln in perspektivischer Darstellung,

Fig. 4

ein zweites Ausführungsbeispiel eines oben offenen Umkartons mit darin befindlichen flachgefalteten Packungsmänteln in perspektivischer Darstellung,

Fig. 5

ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel eines oben offenen Umkartons mit darin befindlichen flachgefalteten Packungsmänteln in perspektivischer Darstellung,

Fig. 6

ein anderes Ausführungsbeispiel eines Behältnisses im Vertikalschnitt,

Fig. 7

ein Behältnis zur Aufnahme einer Rolle Verpackungsmaterial im Vertikalschnitt und

Fig. 8

den Ausschnitt einer Ecke eines Behältnisses mit einem innen befestigten Trägerelement.

The invention is explained in more detail below using a drawing that only shows exemplary embodiments. Show in the drawing

Fig. 1A

a blank for beverage cartons in top view,

Fig. 1B

a flat-folded packaging jacket, made from a blank according to Fig. 1A ,

Fig. 2

an outer box to hold a large number of packaging jackets with cardboard flaps open at the top in a vertical section,

Fig. 3

a first exemplary embodiment of an open-topped outer box with flat-folded packaging jackets inside in a perspective view,

Fig. 4

a second exemplary embodiment of an open-topped outer box with flat-folded packaging jackets inside in a perspective view,

Fig. 5

a further exemplary embodiment of an open-topped outer box with flat-folded packaging jackets inside in a perspective view,

Fig. 6

another embodiment of a container in vertical section,

Fig. 7

A container for holding a roll of packaging material in a vertical section and

Fig. 8

the cutout of a corner of a container with an internally attached support element.

In Fig. 1A A blank B made from a composite laminate is shown, which has three zones 1, 2, 3 at the top, bottom and on its right side for later seam production and is also provided with a large number of creasing and folding lines 4, which facilitate later unfolding of the finished beverage carton and of which only some are in Fig. 1A are provided with the reference number 4. On the top of the blank B you can see a round perforation P as a weakening zone for a pouring element to be applied (not shown).

In Fig. 1B is one from a blank B according to Fig. 1A manufactured packaging jacket S shown, the blank B being connected in its seam area 3 to form a sleeve by sealing a longitudinal seam 6 and folded flat to form a packaging jacket S. The flat folding is done for a simple reason, since the packaging jackets S are usually manufactured at a different location than the subsequent further processing into beverage packages, which is carried out in bottling plants at different locations. For this purpose, a large number of flat-folded packaging jackets S are packed upright in so-called 'outer boxes' 7 and transported to the respective company. The residence time of the packaging jackets S in the outer cartons 7 until they are opened immediately in front of the filling machine is usually significantly more than three days.

The invention has now recognized that the open packaging edges on the bottom and top of the packaging casings S, which are problematic in terms of contamination, are no longer directly exposed to a disinfectant, but rather in such a way that at least part of the treatment agent containing the disinfectant is applied a carrier element is applied so that the actively sterilizing atmosphere that arises then acts on the open cut edges and carries out the desired sterilization of the edge regions 5 of the edges or the ring regions 5 'of the packaging jackets S. An outer box 7 made of corrugated cardboard can preferably be used as the carrier element, in which the upper and lower tabs 8A and 8B, 8A 'and 8B' on the inside of the box are wetted with a treatment agent, specifically in the area of the unspecified arrows in Fig. 2 .

In this way, an actively sterilizing atmosphere is created in the closed outer box 7, in which the treatment agent can penetrate into the open cut edges of the packaging jackets S, or in which the cardboard material located in the edge area or a perforation on the open cut edges is encouraged to release the treatment agent to absorb. There the disinfectant penetrates into the cardboard material to such an extent (a few millimeters) that sufficient sterilization is achieved.

However, it is also possible that the treatment agent is not applied directly to the surface of the outer box 7, but is introduced there with the help of a carrier element or load carrier. For this purpose, for example, strips 9, as in Fig. 3 shown, consist of adhesive tape, felt or other suitable materials, which are glued to the inside of the outer box 7 or can simply be inserted in the lower area of the outer box 7. It has been shown that full-surface wetting is not absolutely necessary in order to achieve sufficient saturation of the atmosphere with disinfectant.

Fig. 4 now shows that it is also possible to insert an insert sheet 10 into the outer box 7 (bottom and/or top), with the insert sheet 10 having been wetted over its entire surface or only partially with the necessary amount of treatment agent.

In Fig. 5 It is shown that it is also possible to provide an insert sheet 11 with strip-shaped load carriers 12, which then then is placed reversely on the upper open cut edges of the packaging jackets S before the outer carton 7 is closed. Of course, it is also possible to place an appropriately prepared insert sheet on the bottom of the outer box 7 before inserting the packaging jackets S into the outer box 7 in order to also sterilize the lower open cut edges of the packaging jackets S.

In Fig. 6 It can be seen that the upright, flat-folded packaging jackets S can also be transported in an 'outer packaging' made of a plastic material. You can clearly see a plastic container 13 in a vertical section on which a corresponding lid 14 is placed. A prepared insert sheet 11' serving as a load carrier is inserted into the headspace of this outer packaging 7' in order to achieve the necessary sterile atmosphere. For a better finish, the "open" transitions between container 13 and lid 14 can also be closed with adhesive tape.

What is not shown is that it is also possible not to provide a plurality of upright and flat-folded packaging casings with a solid outer packaging, but rather to surround them, for example, with a shrink film, with a corresponding insert made of carrier material being placed beforehand on the area of the open cut edges, to carry out the desired sterilization there.

In Fig. 7 It is shown that it is also possible to treat a roll R of a packaging composite material wound on a sleeve T at its open edges using the method according to the invention. This is particularly advantageous if the roll width corresponds exactly to the pack height, because then both circular surfaces of the roll consist almost entirely of open cut edges. For this purpose, the role R in the illustrated and preferred exemplary embodiment is surrounded by a two-part shrink cap consisting of a smaller cap part 15 and a larger cap part 16 adapted to it. You can also see here that there are 11" insert sheets in the area of the open cut edges in order to create the desired sterile atmosphere. Of course, this is also the case with the Packaging of roll material possible, as previously described, after providing them with 11" load carriers, packing them in shrink film.

In Fig. 8 is now the example of the upper left corner of the container Fig. 6 shown that it is also possible to introduce a somewhat more voluminous strip 17 made of felt material or the like as a load carrier, in which case the strip 17 can be loaded with treatment agent even after the container has been closed. For this purpose, a wall of the container is pierced by a needle and in this way the inner strip 17 is soaked with the necessary amount of treatment agent in order to sufficiently sterilize the already packaged, flat-folded packaging jackets S at their open cut edges. For this purpose, the container can have a channel-prepared opening 18. It is also possible, if necessary, for further strips 17' to be provided as load carriers in the head space of the container.

Claims (7)

1. Container for receiving packaging material, in which at least parts (9,12) of the inside of the container (7, 7', 7") are wetted or provided with a treatment agent and/or load carriers (10, 11, 11', 11", 17) provided with a treatment agent are provided inside the container (7, 7', 7") and that the treatment agent contains a H₂O₂ solution as a disinfectant,
   characterised in that
   the container contains packaging material in the form of a plurality of flat-folded packaging sleeves (S), blanks (B) or web material, rolled up into a roll (R), wherein the packaging material consists of a composite material comprising at least one cardboard layer which contains cellulose, and the packaging material respectively has open cut edges, wherein the open cut edges form cellulose zones accessible to the surrounding atmosphere; and in that the treatment agent contains ethanol.
2. Container according to claim 1,
   characterised in that
   the, preferably outer, surfaces of the container (7, 7', 7") are sealed at least in the treated region.
3. Container according to claim 1 or 2,
   characterised in that
   cardboard, particularly corrugated board, is used as material for the container (7), thereby producing a covering box with closable flaps (8A, 8B, 8A', 8B').
4. Container according to any one of claims 1 or 2,
   characterised in that
   plastics is used as material for the container (7', 7").
5. Container according to claim 4,
   characterised in that
   the container (7', 7") comprises a plastics container (13) and a plastics lid (14) as well as at least one load carrier (10, 11, 11', 11", 17).
6. Container according to claim 4,
   characterised in that
   the container (7', 7") is a shrink film with load carriers (10, 11, 11', 11", 17).
7. Method for packaging a plurality of flat-folded packaging sleeves, blanks or web material, rolled up into a roll, respectively consisting of a composite material comprising at least one cardboard layer which contains cellulose, and further comprising open cut edges, wherein the open cut edges form cellulose zones accessible to the surrounding atmosphere, in a container according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
   characterised by the following steps:

   - the flat-folded packaging sleeves, the blanks or the web material, rolled up into a roll, in each case provided with open cut edges, are introduced into the container,

   - a treatment agent containing ethanol and a H₂O₂ solution is applied as a disinfectant to the inside of the container and/or to a load carrier, and the load carrier is inserted into the container; and

   - closing of the container.

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